Commander
Francesco de Pinedo
(1890-1933)The first pilot to fly
a foreign
aircraft to the United StatesNew Orleans - March 29,
192775th Anniversary Commemoration in the
United
States of Americaunder the auspices of Consul General
Enrico
GranaraItalian Consulate General in Chicago

The Savoia
Marchetti S55
Santa Maria on Lake Michigan upon her arrival in Chicago

ST.
LOUIS,
HOME OF CHARLES LINDBERGH, JOINS IN
THEcelebrations.
Experts claim that theDePinedo's
feat was Lindbergh's final
inspiration
to make his historic trip two months
after DePinedo's landing in the United States and less than a week
after
his scheduled touchdown in St. Louis which had to be aborted and
changed
to a fly over due to inclement weather. Constant rains had
flooded
the Midwest throughout the spring of 1927, and the Santa Maria had
departed
from New Orleans against yet another heavy thunderstorm, beginning its
northward run over the swollen Mississippi on May 14th. Headwinds
severely taxed the plane's fuel supply, and the Italians had to make an
unscheduled stop at Memphis, passing the night there to wait out the
storm
and canceling the stop at St. Louis. The disappointed citizens of that
city, who had lined the Mississippi banks under umbrellas in
anticipation
of the S-55's arrival, were given only a quick glimpse of the flying
boat
as it sped across the gray skies overhead.

AMBASSADOR
SALLEO JOINS EVENTSThe
Honorable FerdinandoSalleo,
Italian
Ambassadorto the United
States
of America, will partecipate in both Chicago and St. Louis
festivities.
The Italian American communities of both cities are thrilled about the
Ambassador's endorsement and presence in the anniversary celebration of
this heroic Italian aviator.

H.E.
Ferdinando Salleo, one
of the five longest serving Italian diplomats, was appointed Ambassador
of Italy to the United States on November 9, 1995. He was
born in Messina (Sicily)
in 1936, and entered the Italian Foreign Service in 1960, soon after
getting
his Laurea (M.A. degree) from the Law School of the University of Rome.
He first served in Paris, then in New York as Consul, then in Prague.
In
1972 he came back to the States as counselor at the Embassy in
Washington
D.C. He later served in the Political Department of his Ministry, from
where he moved to Bonn as Minister Counselor. In 1979 he was first
appointed
deputy Director General of the Department for Economic Cooperation and
Development Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Rome. In 1985,
he
was appointed Director General of the same Department. His experience
in
Economic and Financial Affairs brought him to accept the post of Head
of
the Italian Permanent Mission to the OECD (the Paris-based Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development) in 1986. He then returned to
Rome at the head of the Economic Affairs Department. From 1989 to 1993
he served as Ambassador of Italy in Moscow, during the Gorbatchev era
and
the downfall of the Soviet Union. The top post of Secretary General of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was his last assignment in Rome, before
being appointed to Washington D.C. Ambassador
Salleo
has been a visiting professor at the University of Florence and a
professor
at Rome University. Over the last five years, he has had several
opportunities
to meet groups of scholars and students as key-note speakers in
different
parts of the Country. He
is the author of
a diplomatic history study on the genesis of the State of Albania
(1913),
which was published by Sellerio (Palermo) in the year 2000. While
the Ambassador
and Mrs. Anne Marie Salleo live in Washington, their son Alberto is a
researcher
and Ph.D. candidate of Materials Science an Engineering at Livermore
(CA).

World leaders have
bestowed honors on
Commander DePinedo, including the presentation of the British
Royal Air Force Cross in 1927. An article from the 23 June, 1927
issue of the British Magazine "Flight" in which the following reference
is made:

"Although
establishing
no recognized world's records, the flight just completed by the Marquis
of Pinedo is in many ways one of the most remarkable in the history of
aviation. While recently several land aeroplanes have covered
great
distances over the sea, Pinedo has covered greater over land in a
seaplane...In
every way, the Marquis of Pinedo is to be congratulated on his splendid
achievement, and the honour bestowed upon him by His Majesty King
George
by awarding him the Air Force Cross will be heartily welcomed by
British
aviation in general, which sees in it a fitting expression of the
admiration
and esteem with which the gallant Marquis is held in this country."

"FRA
NOI" PRESS RELEASE

CHICAGO
COMMEMORATES ITALIAN AIRMAN'S 1927 FLIGHT
TO CITY

The
life and deeds of Francesco
De Pinedo, a trailblazing Italian aviator and one-time international
hero
whose fame was rivaled only by Charles Lindbergh’s, will be the focus
of
a day-long commemoration in Chicago on Wednesday, May 15th, 2002. The
date,
which has been officially designated "De Pinedo Day" by Mayor Richard
M.
Daley, marks the 75th anniversary of the intrepid transatlantic flyer’s
visit to the city, a call he made as part of his sensational aerial
tour
of the Western Hemisphere in 1927.

The
event has been organized
by Italian Consul General Enrico Granara with the participation and
support
of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the Italian Trade Commission, the
Italian Government Tourist Board, and numerous local, national, and
international
Italian and Italian American organizations, institutes, and private
businesses.
Notable guests will include Italian Ambassador Ferdinando Salleo, Mayor
Daley, and Countess Maria Fede Caproni, daughter of Italian aircraft
builder
Gianni Caproni and founder of the famous Caproni Aviation Museum in
Trento.

"After
arriving in Chicago
in 1999", Granara stated, " several of the more historically-minded
members
of the Italian American community recalled my attention to De Pinedo
and
his role in one of early aviation’s most extraordinary episodes of
valor,
courage and initiative. The first European aviator to fly to the United
States, he landed here after having flown across the Atlantic from
Africa
to Brazil in a Savoia Marchetti seaplane which had been christened,
quite
symbolically, the Santa Maria."

The
day’s events will begin
with the opening of an exhibit of Italian aviation memorabilia at the
Istituto
Italiano di Cultura, after which Dr. Gregory Alegi, one of the leading
European authorities on early aviation history, will lecture on the
details
of De Pinedo’s achievements. Alegi’s presentation will be followed
later
that afternoon by the official opening at the Richard J. Daley Center
of
an exhibit entitled "Wings of Italy", featuring 44 original,
Futurist-style
Italian aviation posters from the years 1910 through 1943. Currently on
display at the Estorick Gallery of London, this rare collection is part
of the Massimo & Sonia Cirulli Archive of New York, and will be
available
for viewing by the general public from May 16th to June 15th, 2002 at
the
Daley Center.

"The
exhibit offers a thematic
overview of three decades of Italian aviation activity that coincided
with
three, critical and decisive epochs of Italy’s history, specifically
World
War I, the rise of Fascism, and the subsequent events that led to the
Second
World War", noted Granara. "The exhibit and the other events of the day
constitute an invitation from the Italian and Italian American
communities
to all Chicagoans to call to mind a seldom remembered but glorious page
from the history of this great city, written by a small crew of
intrepid,
Italian aviators under the command of Colonel De Pinedo."

The
May 15th commemoration
will conclude with an outdoor concert in tribute to De Pinedo featuring
Italian patriotic and thematic music performed by Caliendo’s Banda
Napoletana
under the sponsorship of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian
Americans.
The 45 minute concert will begin at 6:30 PM at the Daley Plaza and will
be open to attendance by the general public.

Subsequent
to the Chicago
celebrations, De Pinedo will again be the focus of commemorative
activities
in St. Louis, New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Madison, Wisconsin. The St.
Louis
events, sponsored by the "Italy at St. Louis" electronic news magazine
(www.italystl.com) and the Federation of Italian American
Organizations,
will include a lecture by Dr. Alegi and an exhibit of fifty-one
photographs
from the Italian Air Force Historical Office chronicling De Pinedo’s
American
tour. Detailed information on De Pinedo and all of the upcoming
commemorative
events can be found at http://www.italystl.com/pride/.

Italic
Institute of America
representatives and Fra Noi correspondents Don Fiore and Robert
Allegrini,
both long-time admirers of De Pinedo and members of the commemoration’s
planning committee, credited Granara with what they view as the crucial
first steps toward restoring the forgotten aviator’s place in history.
"About 20 years ago, I came across an old recording of a 1927 song
entitled
"’l Volo di De Pinedo’ which recounted the exploits of some great
Italian
aviator of whom I had previously never heard a word", said Fiore. "I
started
to suspect some artistic exaggeration, since there was utterly no
mention
of him in any of the English language aviation histories that I
subsequently
consulted. But when I checked newspapers from 1927, there he was all
over
the front page.

"Like
Garibaldi, De Pinedo
can be viewed as an almost ‘perfect hero’ and one who should serve as a
powerful, inspirational icon to all Italian Americans, especially in
our
struggle against the ongoing brutalization of the Italian and Italian
American
image by the entertainment and pop culture media. The Consul General
has
launched the first, visible initiative in over seventy years to return
this hero to the Italian American community. Hopefully, the community
will
respond with all due appreciation and support."

Dott.
Gregory Alegi, Italy's
foremost expert in historical aircrafts will be in Chicago and his
conference
will begin at 12:00 noon, May 15 at the IIC (Istituto Italiano di
Cultura/Italian
Cultural Institute)

A
miniature replica of the dePinedo's
aircraft will be displayed at the IIC

"Wing
of Italy" (Curator Massimo
Cirulli) A 36 historical lithographs exhibit will be displayed at the
Richard
J. Daley Center (Rose Farina) from May 15 to June 15. An
additional
8 lithographs will be exhibited at the IIC

Chicago
Historical Society has
given a reproduction of its press clips of the times

Gene
Farina (NIAF/Chicago) gave
$1,000 and pledged to pay for the exhibit insurance, printing of
invitations
(Buddy Romano) and, through the NIAF member restaurateur Suparossa, the
buffet at the ICC following the conference

OSIA/Illinois
gave $1,500

The
I.M.E.(Italian Professionals
in Chicago) donated $2,500

Michele
Carbone, MD and Joseph
Amato, MD each donated $500.

CNH
Global of Lake Forest donate
$5,000.

The
Milano-Chicago Sister City
Committee donated $2,500

American
Airlines, through Robert
Allegrini, will provide the air fare for Dr. Gregory Alegi

Agenda:May 16,
2002 - Reception
with H.E. Ferdinando Salleo, Italian Ambassador to the USA at St. Louis
University, Carlo Auditorium in Tegeler Hall; June 5,
2002 - "De
Pinedo: il Lindbergh italiano?" at Italiano per piacere;July 1 -
July 14, 2002 - Historical Photographic
Exhibit
from the Italian Air Force Archives at the Museum of
Transportation
(Invitation);July 17,
2002 - "De Pinedo and the wings of Italy"
at the Italian Club of St. Louis.

Confirmed
sponsors and events:

The
St. Louis celebration will
begin Thursday, May 16

www.ItalySt.com/pride
is the
Official Web Site, hosted by Venmar Systems, Inc.

FIAO
(Federation of Italian-American
Organizations)

Franco
Giannotti to develop
and maintain this official web site

FIAO
and leading It-Am organizations
will sponsor the St. Louis celebration